The Best Albums In Dallas Music, 2008: True Widow's Self-Titled Debut Comes In At No. 9

Editor's Note: Over the next 10 days, I'll be presenting my favorite local records of the year, counting down from No. 10 to No. 1, one album a day. Keep checking back to see how the list pans out, and, in the meantime, click after the jump to see albums...

By Pete Freedman

December 23, 2008

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Editor's Note: Over the next 10 days, I'll be presenting my favorite local records of the year, counting down from No. 10 to No. 1, one album a day. Keep checking back to see how the list pans out, and, in the meantime, click after the jump to see albums No. 20-11 in the Top 20 list that will update as the it grows...

No. 9: True Widow -- True Widow

It's ironic, maybe, that Dan Phillips' previous band was called Slowride; with its fast, spunky, punk-influenced tracks, very little of that band's catalog could realistically be set to a casual drive through a wintry setting. Slowride's music was angsty, and ready-made for a night of mischievous revelry. Instead, it's True Widow--the project that Phillips launched with Nicole Estill and Timothy Starks upon his return to Dallas after an attempt to pursue a career with Slowride in Massachusetts--that more deserves a moniker to conjure thoughts of meandering travels.

In a musical year that has been heavy on well-crafted dreamscapes (Fight Bite, School of Seven Bells, M83, etc.) in the pop realm, True Widow created an near-nightmarescape (but not quite that frightening) for those with heavier, shoegazier tastes.

Bonus mp3:

True Widow -- "Sunday Driver"

(More tracks available here.)

Hauntingly beautiful and brutal, but never unmelodic, the Matt Pence-produced True Widow is a debut of rare sonic depth and magnitude.

Is it flawless? Not quite, some looking for a little more pep might argue. But for those looking for pepless satisfaction, there aren't many discs as fulfilling a listen as this. --Pete Freedman

The Top 20 Local Releases Of 2008
20. Collin Herring - Past Life Crashing
19. Stumptone - Gravity Suddenly Released
18. Dove Hunter - The Southern Unknown
17. Febrifuge - A Short Instance Of Separation
16. Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights - Hot Trottin'
15. Toadies - No Deliverance
14. Record Hop - Record Hop
13. The New Frontiers - Mending
12. Fight Bite - Emerald Eyes
11. Lil Wil - Dolla$, TX
10. Dem Southernfolkz - The Message
9. True Widow - True Widow
8. ??????
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6. ??????
5. ??????
4. ??????
3. ??????
2. ??????
1. ??????

...and keep checking back, as this list will update daily.

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